Techniques for Tuesday

Hi! Darcy here from Dj's Stampin' Place with a fun technique called Folded Frame. I think it looks really cool, and is SO much easier to make than it looks! First up, the tutorial!

For your frame, you will start with a 4-1/4" X 4-1/4" square piece of double-sided scrapbook paper. One of the reasons that I love Stampin' Up!'s Designer Series Paper is that it is two-sided and it coordinates!

Grab your Simply Scored Tool and the Diagonal Scoring Plate. You will score each side at 2-1/8" and 2-7/8". I used my markers to remind me, so I didn't have to think about it every time I turned the paper.

Next you will fold inward on the "deepest" score line. You will want to use your Bone Folder to really crease those folds.

Then fold backwards on the other score lines. Be sure to use the Bone Folder on these too.

To hold the frame together and give it some dimension, I put a Stampin' Dimensional under each flap. This part is harder to explain, so the picture helps alot. Make sure to do both of them all on four sides, too.

Your folded frame is complete! I wanted more of the Pool Party pattern to show through around my image, similar to a mat, so I went ahead and glued all my flaps down. If you wanted to use a larger stamped image, you will want to wait to secure your inner pieces until you've glued it down.

Here is my finished card:

Thanks for stopping by today! You can visit my personal blog to find out about the other techniques used on this card, and a full list of supplies. Also, you won't want to miss out on the Easter treats some of the ladies will have for you here tomorrow!

April Color Challenge

We have a very pretty color palette to share with you today for our first Monday of the month Color Challenge! We hope you will feel inspired to play along with us and link up your cards for us to see your beautiful creations. The linky will be open for 2 weeks (last day to link up is April 21st at noon). Take a minute to visit each of the designer's card creations by clicking on their blog names below each picture. And, as always we encourage you to PIN IT so you can come on back later for more inspiration!

Melissa Cochran ~ Crazy Paper Freak

Cynthia Richards ~ Ink-a-Doodle Creations

Darla Roberts- Stampin w Darla and Sisters

Diana Eichfeld ~ Stampin' Fun with Diana

Darcy Johnson ~ Dj's Stampin' Place 

Breelin Renwick ~ Craft-somina Momma

Donna Smit ~ Organized Chaos

Tonya Ball~ Stampin' With Tonya

Pam Steckman at Stampin in the Sun

My Digital Studio with Kathy

Hi everyone, my name is Kathy Peck and today is my first time doing an individual post on the Stylin'Stampin' INKspiration blog.  I have been wanting to play around with My Digital Studio for some time now and I thought this would be the perfect time to do it.

I started looking at what I had in my MDS categories and found the "On The Go" embellishments had the most adorable embellishments for little boys.  I thought this would be a fun project to start with.  Here is what I came up with.

 

 I created a document and started adding the embellishments that appealed to me.  I printed out that sheet of paper and then cut it down to fit on my card front.  I printed out a couple of copies of this page in so I could play around a little.  I cut out the "GO...GO...GO... so I could put it on dimensionals at the top of the card.  I also added some Candy Dots to the wheels of the cars for a little more dimension.  

This is such a fun program.  Every week Stampin Up has new downloads that you can purchase, and they are so much fun to play around with.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Kathy

Ombre Stamping

Ombre is a trend that is hot in more than just the crafting world.  You can find Ombre in fashion, hair, home decor...everywhere!

What is Ombre?  It is a French term meaning "shaded".  Usually a multi-colored stripe, with colors graduating from light to dark.  

Our Design Team had so much fun playing with this new trend!  Take a peek and pin it if you love it!

Melissa Cochran ~ Crazy Paper Freak

Breelin Renwick ~ Craft-somnia Momma

Cynthia Richards ~ Ink-a-Doodle Creations

 Shellie Grindy- Craft Smashup

                           

Donna Smit ~ Organized Chaos

Pam Steckman ~ Stampin' in the Sun

Darcy Johnson ~ Dj's Stampin' Place

Kristy MacKeen - Mama's Sanity

Kim Ryden ~ Stamping with Kim

Thanks for stopping by today!  Leave us a comment if you try out the Ombre trend today!  We can't wait to see what you come up with!!

Burlap Photo Frame w/ Flowers

Good morning, its Cynthia here from Ink a Doodle Creations.  I am so excited to be sharing my latest project with you today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration! 

When I go into a craft store, I don't always go in for a current project.  Sometimes I just like to go in and stock my closet with items for future projects.  You know, in case there is a rainy day with no house work to be done, no cooking and I'm bored senseless... (YEA RIGHT!!!)  like I have any days like that around this house, but a girl can dream can't she?!

I decided to head to the closet and pick a fun item to work with.  I found these cute wooden photo frames and got to work with my idea.  Make sure you read thru the whole post, cause I have a quick guide to making these cute flowers at the end.

 

So the frame has just been wrapped with burlap ribbon and hot glued in place.  My home is decorated with a country rustic feel and this burlap frame is perfect.  I'm thinking of putting a Mother's Day picture inside with my boys. 

 

 

 

Now we are getting up close and personal with the flowers.  The large center flower I created in strawberry slush using the spiral flower big shot die.  I used two together to make it nice and full.  The two calypso coral flowers are made using the pansy flower punch.  Now the vanilla flowers I created using the fringe scissors and the leaves are created using the med. oval punch.

After all the flowers were in place, I thought the upper corner looked a little bare.  So I cut out the shape using the beautiful butterflies die, used the swallowtail stamp, stamped in versa mark and heat embossed it with gold powder on vellum, colored the underneath with matching colors as the flowers and layered it with a vanilla shape to help the colored butterfly stand out.  I then cut out another in strawberry slush to layer underneath.

 

HOW TO MAKE THESE EASY LAYERED FLOWERS

 

 You will need two punched flowers, two med. oval punches and a cardstock strip. Mine is 1-1/2" x 11".  Start by cutting a slit to half way point with one flower.

 Glue and over lap two of the petals so it forms a rounded shape.  glue this down to the top of the other flower and add a pearl to the center.

 With your two ovals, these will be the leaves. Punch and add as many as you want. Cut a short slit at the bottom, glue and over lap them like in the photo.  Now these are not inked up, but you wish to do that like on the finished project above.

 With the fringe scissors, cut along the length of strip.  Start rolling and glue together with a piece of red line.

 This is what it looks like after rolled.  Just use your fingers and fluff away!

 To color the tips, after I fluffed the flower, I rolled it around on top of the ink pad.  When done, this is what it looks like.

 The leaves are just glued to the bottom of the flower and placed around the other ones above once I was ready to glue them to the frame.

 

Supplies Used

Cardstock ~ very vanilla, strawberry slush, calypso coral, vellum, old olive

Ink ~ strawberry slush, calypso coral, old olive

Stamp Set ~ swallowtail

Punches ~ med. oval punch, pansy flower punch

Other Supplies ~ beautiful butterflies die, basic & large pearls, burlap ribbon, spiral flower die

 

I hope you have enjoyed my burlap flower frame along with my quick guide on how I made these flowers.  Nothing fancy, but just nice, quick and easy 3-D flowers you can create using punches.  Don't forget to leave some "love", as I always enjoy reading your comments.

Technique Tuesday ~ Faux Leather

It's Technique Tuesday! Have you tried the Faux Leather technique? We've got some great projects for you today, but first I (Darcy) want to share a tutorial with you if you've never done it yourself.

So, what do you need to get started?

Masking tape and a piece of cardstock! Tear little pieces of tape and cover your cardstock in a haphazard fashion. This would be a good project for little helper hands! This is what mine looked like when I was done:

I trimmed the edges up with a pair of scissors. (Tip: if you are using this as a layer, be careful when you are trimming the edges! Ask how I know!) Next, I got my ink pad and a sponge dauber and got ready to get messy!

Ok, so it wasn't really that messy, but only because I remembered a piece of scrap paper underneath and didn't touch the top too much. I started out by rubbing the ink across the tape. However, I found that I got better coverage if I dabbed it on instead. In the picture below, the left side is dabbed, the right side is rubbed.

It will take a few days for the ink to dry on top of your masking tape. Therefore, if you want to use it right away, cover the entire thing with clear embossing powder and heat. This will set the ink, and I feel gives it more of a leathery look because of the shine.

Please visit all of our designer's blogs for more details of their projects and to leave them some love! I can tell you that on mine, you will find other color samples and ways to play with the tape if you want some ideas before you experiment!

Darcy Johnson ~ Dj's Stampin' Place

Donna Smit ~ Organized Chaos

Faux Leather...Fake balloons... April Fool's day has never been so fun!  Head on over to the Organized side of Chaos and check out some neat ways to "fake" a fun card for any occasion!

Tonya Ball~ Stampin' With Tonya

Since I didn't have any masking tape on hand I decided to give the Faux Leather Technique a try with out Washi Tape. I like the look and it is a fun twist on the technique.